road cycling winner, Remco Evenpoel, crafted what would have amounted to the most iconic winning photo of all the paris 2024 olympics, but the organization failed to correctly anticipate the moment and mistakenly placed the photographers far off the center of the road.
the man rode brilliantly, reached the finish line alone, with more than a minute to spare. no one behind him on the long stretch that extended right to the foot of the eiffel tower. not a single car, person, nothing. as soon as he crossed it, evenpoel got off the bike right on top of the line, placed the machine in front of him and raised his arms with the tower in between.
the TV cameraman on a crane, right in the middle of the road, failed to zoom out fast enough, and also lost the opportunity. every picture that came out of the pool has the rider unaligned with the tower or the road.
unaware of the fact that no one was able to capture his perfectly planned pose, the gold medalist's first words after reaching the press cameras were: that right there, is going to be a picture for the ages.
I saw that unfold and was wondering...had to have been tough to get the whole tower in the frame, the cyclist would have been tiny. You might find this interesting..
To add a bit more for those curious. Australian silver medalist Peter Norman's story, is a story in itself.
“As soon as he got home he was hated,” explains his nephew Matthew Norman, who has directed a new film – “Salute!” – about Peter’s life before and after the 1968 Olympics.
“A lot of people in America didn’t realize that Peter had a much bigger role to play. He was fifth (fastest) in the world, and his run is still a Commonwealth record today. And yet he didn’t go to Munich (1972 Olympics) because he played up. He would have won a gold.
Thanks for the explanation; I’ve seen the ‘68 photo all my life and have never heard about the significance of the socks, beads, and the lone Puma shoe. Knowing those details makes the photo even more powerful.
Great analysis! I learned a lot. Thanks.
I learned a lot from that - thank you!
Great insights here!
Wonderful analysis and back stories!
road cycling winner, Remco Evenpoel, crafted what would have amounted to the most iconic winning photo of all the paris 2024 olympics, but the organization failed to correctly anticipate the moment and mistakenly placed the photographers far off the center of the road.
the man rode brilliantly, reached the finish line alone, with more than a minute to spare. no one behind him on the long stretch that extended right to the foot of the eiffel tower. not a single car, person, nothing. as soon as he crossed it, evenpoel got off the bike right on top of the line, placed the machine in front of him and raised his arms with the tower in between.
the TV cameraman on a crane, right in the middle of the road, failed to zoom out fast enough, and also lost the opportunity. every picture that came out of the pool has the rider unaligned with the tower or the road.
unaware of the fact that no one was able to capture his perfectly planned pose, the gold medalist's first words after reaching the press cameras were: that right there, is going to be a picture for the ages.
it wasn't to be.
I saw that unfold and was wondering...had to have been tough to get the whole tower in the frame, the cyclist would have been tiny. You might find this interesting..
https://escapecollective.com/getting-the-shot-an-eiffel-tower-finish/
Great piece.
To add a bit more for those curious. Australian silver medalist Peter Norman's story, is a story in itself.
“As soon as he got home he was hated,” explains his nephew Matthew Norman, who has directed a new film – “Salute!” – about Peter’s life before and after the 1968 Olympics.
“A lot of people in America didn’t realize that Peter had a much bigger role to play. He was fifth (fastest) in the world, and his run is still a Commonwealth record today. And yet he didn’t go to Munich (1972 Olympics) because he played up. He would have won a gold.
“He suffered to the day he died.”
You can read more here
https://edition.cnn.com/2012/04/24/sport/olympics-norman-black-power/index.html
He was honoured with a statue at Albert Park in Melbourne in 2019.
Another excellent breakdown on an interesting chapter in history! I learned a lot! Thank you!
Thanks for the explanation; I’ve seen the ‘68 photo all my life and have never heard about the significance of the socks, beads, and the lone Puma shoe. Knowing those details makes the photo even more powerful.